Automatic lift separating and feeding mechanism



April 9, 1957 c. c. CRUZAN 2,738,156

AUTOMATIC LIFT SEPARATING AND FEEDING MECHANISM Original Filed April 14, 1948 4 Sheds-Sheet 1 I I I I I I 1 l 1 I I I I I I l I.

JTTORNEI C. C. CRUZAN April 9, 1957 AUTOMATIC LIFT SEPARATING AND FEEDING MECHANISM Original Filed April 14, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN] 'ENTOR.

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ATTORNEY C- C. CRUZAN April 9, I957 AUTOMATIC LIFT SEPARATING AND FEEDING MECHANISM Original Filed April l4, 1948 r 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 g; IAIENTOR. 607456 6, 6902/9 M2 IITTORNI April 9, 1957 c. c. CRUZAN AUTOMATIC LIFT SBPARATING AND FEEDING MECHANISM Original Filed April 14, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG. IO

FIG.

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INVENTOR.

CHARLES C. CRUZAN ATTORNEY.

United States Patent AUTOMATIC LIFT SEPARATING AND FEEDING MECHANISM Charles C. Cruzan, Salt Point, N. Y., assignorto Wire-0- Corporation, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., a corporation of New York Original application April 14, 1948, Serial No. 20,878,

now Patent No. 2,641,321, dated June 9, 1953. Diggkagfind this application January 12, 1953, Serial No.

4 Claims. (Cl. 221-251) The invention herein disclosed is an automatic lift forming and feeding mechanism adapted for use with paper punching or other machines, and is a division of patent application Serial No. 20,878, filed April 14, 1948, Patent No. 2,641,321, dated June 9, 1953.

General objects of the invention are to provide simple, practical, eflicient mechanism for separating and feeding out groups of sheets or layers of material known as lifts, from the foot of a stack of such material.

A particular problem solved by this invention has been to hold back the material above the separated, bottom lift and to effect smooth feeding of the lift from beneath the superposed weight of material.

Special objects of the invention have been to provide this stack bottom, lift forming and feeding mechanism at a reasonable cost and to operate at a high production rate.

Other desirable objects and results attained by the invention are set forth and will appear in the course of the following specification.

The drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification illustrate a present practical embodiment of the invention, but it will be appreciated that structure and arrangement may be modified and changed within the true intent and broad scope of the invention as hereinafter defined and claimed.

Fig. 1 in the drawings is a broken plan view of the invention associated with a paper punching machine;

Fig. la is an enlarged broken sectional detail of the mounting of the adjustable gate member at the front of the magazine holding the stack of material;

Fig. 2 is a broken front elevation of the same parts;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged broken plan view showing the feed slide and holdback clamp in retracted positions;

Fig. 4 is a part sectional broken front view of these parts;

Fig. 5 is a broken sectional view showing the slide advanced to separate and feed a lift at the bottom of the stack, with the holdback clamp closed to hold the overlying sheets in place while the lift is being slid out from beneath the same;

Fig. 6 is a broken cross sectional detail of the slide and table construction taken on substantially the plane of line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Figs. 7 and 8 are plan views of the feed blade and the clamp plate for adjustably'securing the same;

Fig. 9 is a broken side elevation of the feed blade or bayonet showing how the undersurface of the same may be relieved back of the point to avoid jamming or wedging the sheets in the stack.

Figs. 10, 11, 12 and 13 are broken part sectional diagrammatic views illustrating successive stages in the operation of the invention, Fig. 10 showing the feed blade and holdback clamp just entering the stack of sheets, Fig. 11 showing the clamp closed to hold back the layer above the lowest layer or lift separated by the feed blade, Fig. 12 showing the feed blade further advanced with the feed shoulder thereon engaged with the bottom, separated lift,

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and Fig. 13 showing the bottom lift fed forward to the takeout rolls while the layer above the bottom lift is held back by the clamp.

In the present invention the sheets are stacked in quantity on a table 25 and fed out from the bottom of the stack, one lift at a time.

In the illustration the sheets 27 are confined in the stack formation on the table 25 by upright, angled front corner guides 23, 29, and rear guides 30, 31. These may be adjustably mounted to accommodate dilferent size sheets as by being secured by bolts 32 engaged in undercut grooves 33 in the table top.

Separation and feeding of the group of sheets forming the lowermost lift is accomplished in the illustration by a slide or blade 34, operating over the table top and having a tapered and sharpened forward edge portion 35 spaced above the top a distance 36, Fig. 4, equivalent to the thickness of the lift and therefore adapted to penetrate the stack at the proper level to separate the sheets necessary to form the lower lift 24.

This slide has a feed shoulder 37 at the back of the separating blade portion 35 which, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, will forward the separated sheets into the bite of a pair of feeding'out rollers 38, 39.

As shown in Fig. 2, the front stack guides 28, 29, are relieved at their lower ends to form a gateway 40 for free passage of the separated lift to the pulling-out rolls 38, 39.

To prevent dislodgment of the sheets overlying the separated lift, the feed slide is provided with means for holding back the next adjoining overlying layer of sheets, in the form of a clamp 41 having a tapered and sharpened forward edge 42 to penetrate the stack at a level above the separated lower layer and pivoted at 43 to close down in gripping engagement with the thus separated upper layer of sheets disposed over the forward end of the slide 47 carrying this clamp.

The closing, automatic gripping engagement of the holdback clamp is effected, in the illustration, by providing it with an inclined cam shaped upper surface 44 to engage the lower edge 45 of a bar 46 extending across between the rear stack guides 30, 31.

To allow the feed slide the forward movement necessary to feed the separated lower lift after the upper layer has been gripped and held by the holdback clamp, the latter is shown mounted on a plate 47 slidingly mounted on ledges 48 in the main feed slide 34 and held down in sliding engagement on these ledges by overstanding plates 48a.

The pivot 43 for the holdback clamp is shown carried by lugs or ears 49 on the slide plate 47 and the latter is shown projected forwardly on the main slide by a compression spring 50 surrounding the rodr5l and bearing against the forward end of a guide sleeve 52 adjustably secured by clamp screw 53 on the main slide.

By releasing the set-screw 53 and longitudinally adjusting guide sleeve 52, the tension of spring 50 may be adjusted to hold the clamp advanced under proper spring pressure to enter the stack sufficiently for a firm grip on the layer of sheets overlying the sheets forming the separated lower lift.

The holdback clamping blade 41 is yieldingly held in open or raised position, as in Fig. 4, by a spring 54 bearing downward on the outwardly extended arm 55 of this member and adjusted as to tension by the overstanding thumbnut 56.

It will be noted in Fig. 4 that the under surfaces of both the lower separating blade 34 and the upper clamping blade 41 are substantially parallel with the table to enter the stack smoothly without tearing the sheets and that the upper surfaces are inclined to act in a wedging capacity for lifting and separating the sheets.

The under surface of the lower, separating blade 34, however, preferably is relieved, back of the front end portion of the same, substantially as indicated at 35a in the detail view, Fig. 9, all the way back to the feed shoulder 37 so as to overcome any tendency for the separated lift forming sheets 24 wedging against the face of the blade. This wedging tendency may be created by a slight springing of the thinned projecting portion of the blade away from and out of parallelism with the face of the table. The relief in the under surface of the blade affords slight additional clearance for the sheets back to the feed shoulder and effectually prevents any wedging or jamming of the sheets beneath the blade.

The lift separating and holdback members 34 and 41 are carried, in the present disclosure, by a sliding carriage made up of bars 57, Fig. 6, operating in guide slots 58 in the table 25 and secured by through bolts 59 to the body portion 34 of the feed slide at the top, and to the operating plate 61 at the bottom, beneath the table, said slide bars being confined in said slots by an underlying plate 60 secured to the bottom of the table, the lower, reduced portions 57a of the slide bars operating through slots in this stationary plate, as shown in Fig. 6.

The operating plate 61, as shown in Fig. 2, carries a wristpin 62 engaged by one end of a link 63 whose opposite end is pivotally connected at 64 with the upper end of a lever 65 pivotally supported at its lower end at 66 and carrying a roller 67 in engagement with the groove 68 in a cam 69.

This particular form of drive imparts a constant length stroke to the lift feed mechanism. To enable adjustment of this mechanism to the size of sheet being handled, the slide bars 57 are shown in Fig. 4 as having a series of openings 74 therethrough for the bolts 59 spaced longitudinally of the bars so that the body or base portion 34 may be secured at different positions on the slide carriage, closer to or further removed from the stack.

For finer adjustments the paper feeder is secured on the slide carriage through the intermediacy of a clamp plate 75 slotted at 76 for passage of the through bolts 59, the base portion 34 of the blade having longer slots 77 for these bolts.

Outer sets of bolts 78 serve to further secure the clamp plate to the base plate 34, these bolts being shown arranged in pairs and applying pressure through the pads or washer-like clamp plates 79. The main clamp plate 75 is shown as having elongated slots 80 in its outer edges for the free passage of the pairs of bolts 78.

It will be seen that upon loosening bolts 59 and 78 the clamp plate 75 is released to permit bodily adjustment of the sheet feeder base 34 in respect to the bars 57 of the slide carriage, to the extent permitted by length of the slots 77 and 80. Spacer ribs 81 on the under side of the base plate 34 operating through the slots 82 in the table top directly engage the tops of the slide bars 57 so that tightening of the bolts 59 secures the plate 34 without binding it on the table.

Flat springs 83 are shown in Figs. 3 and 4 held beneath the heads of the inner sets of bolts 59 and bearing downward at their free ends on the forwardly or inwardly projecting portion of the feeder plate 34 to prevent vibration and to hold it down in smooth sliding engagement with the surface of the table.

The bottom lift 24, Figs. 5, and 13, separated as described and pushed out from beneath the layer of sheets held back above the same into the bite of the constantly running feed rollers 38, 39, is advanced by the latter. To prevent the layer of sheets overlying the bottom lift from shifting forward under the impulse of the clamping blade entering the stack, a so-called gate is provided in the illustration in the form of a bar 150, Fig. 2, adjustably mounted on the cross bar 151 between the front stack guides 28, 29, by a bolt 152 and thumb-screw 153. The cross bar 151 is shown as horizontally slotted at 154 and the gate as vertically slotted at 155, Fig. In, for passage of the bolt 152, allowing for both lateral and vertical adjustment of the gate. Set screws 156, Fig. 3, at the sides of the gate and bearing on top of the bar 151, provide for accurate vertical adjustments of the gate substantially to meet the lower edge of the held back group of sheets overlying the bottom lift. Adjusted with its lower edge substantially at the parting line between the lower lift and the layer gripped by the holdback clamp, the gate assists this clamp in holding back the overlying layer of leaves and forms an abutment which will prevent forward shifting movement of this layer under the push of the clamp blade in entering the stack.

The gate also is important in holding back the overlying covers in the case where the machine is used for feeding covers instead of lifts of sheets, the adjustments described being utilized to accurately set the gate for such purposes.

Operation Reviewing briefly, the sheets 27 confined in stack formation by stack guides 28, 29, 30, 31, Figs. 1 and 2, are removed, one lift at a time, from the bottom of the stack by a sliding feeder 34 having a blade 35, Figs. 4 and 5, to enter the stack at the proper lift level and an abrupt shoulder 37 beneath and at the back of said blade to feed out the separated lift into the bite of the constantly running feeding-out or pulling-out rolls 38, 39, Fig. 2.

The sheets above the separated lift are gripped and held by a second blade 41 on the feed slide which enters the stack above the bottom lift and closes down into gripping engagement on the overlying sheets as it rides under the cam bar 46, Fig. 5. This holdback clamp being carried by the bar 47 slidably mounted on the main slide base 34, remains in gripping engagement with the sheets while the feed slide continues its movement and the shoulder 37 engages and feeds out the separated lift or layer.

The lift taken by the feeding-out rolls 38, 39, Fig. 2, may be further advanced by tapes or other conveyor means.

While the machine has been used for separating and feeding sheets in lifts to an automatic punch, it is realized that it may be used for many other purposes such as for punching book covers or the like.

As the stack lowers in the hopper, from the feeding-out of the stock from the bottom, the stack may be replenished by simply adding fresh sheets on top of the stack. The operation may thus be a continuous one and, since the machine can operate at high speed, high rates of production can be maintained.

While of particular importance for perforating sheets and for that reason so disclosed, it should be understood that the invention is of broad scope and has many other applications as, for example, in connection with machines for trimming and for cutting the round corners on sheets. Also, while particularly useful for handling sheets of paper, the invention is adapted for handling sheets or layers of other materials, such as plastics and certain kinds of cloth.

A special advantage of feeding sheets from the bottom of the stack and supplying them to the top of the stack is that they then may be kept in the same order or sequence, an important feature in the case of sequentially numbered sheets for books and the like.

The terms employed herein have been used in a descriptive rather than in a limiting sense and are to be read accordingly except where the intent to restrict is plain or possibly where state of the prior art may so require.

What is claimed is:

1. Means for feeding layers of material from the bottom of a stack of layers and comprising a table for supporting the stack of material, a feed blade reciprocating over said table toward and away from the stack and having a sharpened forward edg to enter between adjoining layers at the bottom of the stack and a feed shoulder in back of said sharpened edge to engage the separated layer below the blade, means for reciprocating said blade to effect separation and feeding out of the bottom layer, a clamp bar slidingly mounted on said feed blade, a gripper jaw pivoted on the forward portion of said slidingly mounted bar and having a sharpened edge to enter between adjoining layers above the separated bottom layer, means for yieldingly thrusting said slidingly mounted bar forward on the feed blade and a stationary abutment at the foot of the stack engageable by said gripper to close the gripper on said layer above the separated bottom layer and to stop forward advancing movement of the gripper and slidingly mounted bar with the feed slide.

2. Means for feeding layers of material from the bottom of a stack of layers and comprising a table for supporting the stack of material, a feed blade reciprocating over said table toward and away from the stack and having a sharpened forward edge to enter between adjoining layers at the bottom of the stack and a feed shoulder in back of said sharpened edge to engage the separated layer below the blade, means for reciprocating said blade to efiect separation and feeding out of the bottom layer, a clamp bar slidingly mounted on said feed blade, a gripper jaw pivoted on the forward portion of said slidingly mounted bar and having a sharpened edge to enter between adjoining layers above the separated bottom layer, means for yieldingly thrusting said slidingly mounted bar forward on the feed blade, a stationary abutment at the foot of the stack engageable by said gripper to close the gripper on said layer above the separated bottom layer and to stop forward advancing movement of the gripper and slidingly mounted bar with the feed slide, and a gate at the opposite side of the stack from said feed blade positioned to hold back the layer of material gripped by said gripper jaw.

3. Means for feeding layers of material from the bottom of a stack of layers and comprising a table for supporting the stack of material, a feed blade mounted to reciprocate over said table toward and away from the stack and having a sharpened forward edge to enter between adjoining layers to effect separation of the bottom layer and provided with a feed shoulder in back of said sharpened edge to engage and feed out the layer separated at the bottom of the stack, means for reciprocating said blade to effect separation and feeding out of the bottom layer, a clamp bar directly above said feed blade and mounted for reciprocating movement toward and away from the stack to thereby engage beneath the layer of material immediately above the lower layer separated by the feed blade, a gripper jaw at the forward portion of said clamp bar and having a sharpened edge to enter between adjoining layers above the separated bottom layer, means for closing said gripper jaw downwardly toward the clamp bar, whereby in conjunction with the clamp bar to grip and hold the overlying layer of material immediately above the separated bottom layer and means for holding the clamp bar and gripper jaw stationary in closed engagement with said next overlying layer of material while the feed blade completes the reciprocating movement required for the feed shoulder to advance the separated bottom layer from beneath the overlying layer held back by the clamp bar and gripper.

4. Means for feeding layers of material from the bottom of a stack of layers and comprising a table for supporting the stack of material, said table having parallel slots therein, bars sliding in said slots, a plate connecting said bars together beneath the table, means connected with said plate for reciprocating said bars, a feed blade secured to said bars above the top of the table and provided with an edge for entering a stack of material supported on the table for separating a layer of the material at the bottom of the stack, a clamp bar slidingly mounted on the top of said blade and positioned for entering the stack immediately above the bottom layer separated by the feed blade, a gripper jaw mounted on said clamp bar in position to enter the stack above the separated bottom layer, a stationary member positioned to be engaged by and to close the gripper jaw toward the clamp bar to thereby grip an overlying layer of material above the separated bottom layer and means yieldingly positioning said clamp bar on the feed blade in forwardly projected relation and thereby enabling said clamp bar and gripper jaw to remain stationary in gripping engagement with the overlying layer of material above the separated bottom layer, while said feed blade continues its forward feeding out movement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 846,766 Wantzen Mar. 12, 1907 972,649 Rose Oct. 11, 1910 1,058,372 Kruse Apr. 8, 1913 1,137,743 Dickson May 4, 1915 1,246,592 Harvey Nov. 13, 1917 1,272,608 Bleile July 16, 1918 1,359,191 Packard Nov. 16, 1920 1,669,015 Oliver May 8, 1928 1,738,680 Wineman Dec. 10, 1929 2,131,967 Peropat Oct. 4, 1938 2,384,052 Stewart et al. Sept. 4, 1945 2,414,336 Shields Jan. 14, 1947 2,455,545 Alfandre Dec. 7, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 498,853 Belgium Nov. 14, 1950 684,883 Great Britain Dec. 24, 1952 

